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2013 News

November 27, 2013|Western imaging research improves MS diagnosisA new study from the Robarts Research Institute has found a better way to use MRI scans to detect and possibly follow the progress of multiple sclerosis and other neurological diseases. CTV News Story - HereMedical News Today - Here

November 19 2013 | Western NewsWestern researchers explore links between learning disorders in childrenNew interdisciplinary research from Western University has uncovered fundamental links among three major learning difficulties in some school-age children. Although many children have specific problems with dyslexia, specific language impairment and dyscalculia, this study is the first to show a significant portion of these children have overlapping deficits. Importantly, the research team has also devised a 10-minute screening test that could be administered broadly in primary schools to identify children at risk for the different disorders. Read More - HereRead Article in PLoS ONE - HereYou can watch the CTV News Story - Here.

October 31 2013 | BMI AnnouncementWestern University neuroscientist investigates why humans sleepAs North America prepares to turn its collective clocks back an hour this weekend, consequently gaining an hour of sleep, a neuroscientist at Western University is investigating one of the dominant hypotheses that would explain the unsolved mystery of why humans sleep. Read More - Here

October 28 2013 | Maclean'sDr. Grahn is interviewed for an article on the power of musical rhythm in "The New Brain", a Special Edition of Maclean’s Magazine. "In The New Brain, Maclean’s best writers examine the most intriguing ideas about the body’s most complex organ. Once the domain of philosophers, phrenologists, priests and psychiatrists, the brain is now being scrutinized by some of the finest scientific minds of our times. From Alzheimer’s and ADHD to autism and post-traumatic stress disorder, The New Brain is the definitive guide to some of the world’s most prominent medical mysteries." In an article entitled, "Let the Rhythm Take Control", Dr. Grahn comments on the possible origins of the special musical abilities in humans, and how music and language may have evolved together. She also discusses the role of music in infancy. The New Brain is available online (LINK HERE) or at newsstands now.

October 26 2013 | The Globe and MailThe root of the problem: This is your brain on mathTake a look at this recent Globe and Mail story about research in Daniel Ansari's lab which is measuring the relationship between brain activity in children's brains and their ability to solve simple arithmetic problems. As PhD student, Anna Matejko, explains, "This work will one day help us understand where individual differences in mathematical ability come from."Globe and Mail story - Here

October 25 2013 | CBC Radio SparkThe Treachery of ImagesJody Culham did an interview with Nora Young on CBC Radio1's Spark program. She discussed work done in collaboration with Jacqueline Snow (former postdoctoral fellow, now a professor at the University of Nevada Reno) on how real objects differ from photographs. You can listen to the interview - Here

August 21 2013 |Why do we forget?The Director of the US National Institute of Mental Health, Tom Insel, just identified an opinion paper recently co-authored by scientists at Sick Kids Hospital and BMI researcher Stefan Köhler as a major advance in understanding the neural basis of forgetting. Check out his blog - Here

August 13 2013 | BMI AnnouncementResearch looks to communicate with coma patientsWith the help of fMRI, behaviourally nonresponsive patients can use selective auditory attention to convey their ability to follow commands and communicate.Western News - HereRead PDFJuly 2 2013 | Western NewsWestern team wins brain mapping hackathonA team of researchers, fuelled predominantly by Western's Brain and Mind Institute, won top prize in the Hackathon at the annual meeting of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping last week in Washington. Read more - HereMay 29 2013 | BMI AnnouncementClarke Road Grade 10 Student off to Brain BeeComing off a recent win at the London Brain Bee, Clarke Road Secondary School student Melanie Colvin is preparing to duke it out with some of the best brains in the country during the Canadian National Brain Bee at Hamilton’s McMaster University. Read More - HereMay 21 2013 | BMI AnnouncementMRI Research Technologist NeededThe Brain and Mind Institute at Western University (also known as the University of Western Ontario) in London Ontario is seeking an MRI Research Technologist to assist with MRI (particularly fMRI) data acquisition and analysis. At the moment the position has term temporary full-time status until Dec. 2013, but incoming funds are anticipated to enable us to convert the position to full-time permanent status. May 3 2013 | BMI AnnouncementMel Goodale elected a Fellow of the Royal SocietyOn 2 May 2013 the Director of the Brain and Mind Institute, Dr Melvyn Goodale, was elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society. Congratulations Mel.Western News Story - HereApr. 30 2013 | Analyzing brain activity in near real timeJingyun Chen, Jinhui Qin, Rhodri Cusack and Mark Daley demonstrated their real-time graph theory based neuroimaging platform at an IBM media event in Toronto. Dynamic graph representations of the subject's brain activity were projected live in Toronto -- in real time -- as the subject was in the 3T magnet at the CFMM in London.Apr. 22 2013 | 2013 London Brain BeeOn Saturday April 6, 2013 The Brain and Mind Institute hosted high school students in the London and surrounding area from grades 9 through 12 to compete in the 2013 London Brain Bee. Students demonstrated their knowledge about the brain and neuroscience. (Full Story)Apr. 1 2013 |Daley and the Science Leadership ProgramMark Daley has been invited to participate in the Science Leadership Program being held May 2-4, 2013, at the University of Toronto. Only 8 people outside of U of T were chosen from across Canada to be SLP Fellows. Congratulations Mark.Mar. 26 2013 |TEDxWaterloo Is “home” a concept or a reality? A place to begin from or a place to return to? Is home where the heart is or wherever you say it is? From our home planet to most intimate interactions in home life, TEDxWaterloo 2013 is chasingHOME and what happens when it is lost and found.Jessica Grahn will be speaking Wednesday, March 27th.

Mar. 15 2013 | BMI AnnouncementProf. Tutis Vilis has just published an e-textbook for medical students."My Brain Notes for Medical Students" went on sale in the iTunes bookstore March 15, 2013 for the iPad. If you like it, please rate it and add your review on iTunes. Prof. Vilis would also would appreciate your comments on things to add to the next edition: What do you think is the most important thing your doctor should know about the brain? View - Here

Mar. 1 2013 | BMI AnnouncementDelusions of Identity in Alzheimer’s DiseaseDr. Stefan Köhler, faculty member in the Department of Psychology and a principal investigator in Western’s Brain and Mind Institute, just received Research Grant of the Alzheimer Foundation London and Middlesex to support a research project that addresses cognitive impairment that can be caused by dementia. (Full Story)

Feb. 26 2013 | Western News Dr. Tutis Vilis receives Queen's Jubilee AwardCongratulations to Dr. Tutis Vilis, scientist/professor and civic activist. For over two decades, Tutis has been an active Director leading the Masonville Residents Association, in addition to serving on the executive of the Urban League of London for over a decade. He has coordinated community activities and made a valuable contribution to citizen engagement. (Full Story)

Feb. 13 2013 | Western NewsBlind brain receives "visual" cues for identifying object shapeA significant number of blind humans, not unlike bats and dolphins, can localize silent objects in their environment simply by making clicking sounds with their mouth and listening to the returning echoes.(Read More)

Feb. 2013 | CharakteryEcholocation in PolishAn article about Mel Goodale's work on the neural basis of echolocation in the blind appears in the Polish science magazine Charaktery.(Read PDF Article)

Jan. 31 2013 | Western NewsProgram Looks to build a safer implantBlaine Chronik and his team are looking to build medical devices, such as pacemakers, that are safe for the public and the magnetic resonance (MR) environment.(Read More)

Jan. 17 2013 | Western NewsOwen documentary now available in Canada The BBC-TV program Panorama featured Western neuroscientist Adrian Owen last fall detailing his revolutionary efforts to communicate with severely brain-injured patients. The documentary, The Mind Reader; Unlocking My Voice, was only available in the U.K. until now. (Watch Documentary)

Jan. 7 2013 | Canadians for Health ResearchResearcher of the Month in Visual Neuroscience Like many young adults, after earning his first university degree, Mel Goodale traveled to Europe to “find himself”. He failed miserably. Instead, he spent a lot of time wandering around the U.K., taking odd jobs and living in damp apartments with dubious roommates. (Read More)